THE CULT OF BEAUTY

Auckland Star, Volume LXVIII, Issue 108, 8 May 1937, Page 3 (Supplement)

THE CULT OF BEAUTY

Even the Homely Woman Can Shine.

LET YOUR MIRROR TELL YOU THE TRUTH

(By A SPECIALIST.)

NO woman in the world can remain constantly good-looking without

replenishing her good looks with the right kind of food, rest and exercise. Xo figure stays shaped and curved to perfection without supervision. Xo charmingly groomed appearance came that way by chance. Xo distinction of face, figure, dress or carriage is attained in a haphazard manner. And I don't think I am exaggerating when I state that I don't believe there's a homely woman in the world to-day who can't be made attractive with a little practical training and effort.

In the first place any woman can make her figure pleasing to look at if she will control her appetite and learn how to stand and walk correctly. She can eventually acquire a soft and healthy-looking skin and attractive hair. Those things are based upon health. By studying other neatly dressed women, advertisements, fashion magazines, she can learn one of the most beautifying arts in the world, namely, daintiness in grooming. Xothing gives such an effect of beauty as an exquisitely groomed woman, who stands and moves with grace and distinction. That is something each one of you e\n learn to do. Art in dress, which means choosing the right lines and colours with an eve to that suitability to your age, the "occasions for which you have the most need of clothes, and your particular tvpe of figure is another thing that you can learn from observation. It costs no more to be dressed harmoniously and becomingly than carelessly, but Vou've got to think of your wardrobe" as a gradually and carefully assembled unit, rather than as a collection of hats' wraps and costumes that bear no relation to each other or to vou. Last, but not least, you've got to cultivate the right mental attitude about your appearance. You've got to assure yourself that you have nothing whatever to be ashamed of in your appearance, and a great deal with which to be pleased and satisfied. There are homely characteristics there, to be sure, but what you can t correct or cure, you might just as well forget.

Don't make the mistake of usin" a truth mirror so zealously that you can't see anything in your face but defects. A friend once sent me for a birthday present a small handglass that is commercially referred to as a "truth mirror. In other words, it is intended to show up all your normal defects and a great many hitherto obscure ones, with the purpose, I imagine, of horrifying you into some immediate corrective action In my case the sudden revelation of dozens of hitherto unsuspected defects made me miserable for the rest of the day. Finally I realised that if sue h blemishes didn't appear in my ordinary hand-glass they couldn't be particularly noticeable to my friends. So I <ray e away my magnifying mirror and forced L t ° rget What the latter had repealed. In everyday life most of us spend too much time wondering what we can do about our real or imaginary blemishes, or, in other words, holding truth mirrors up to our defects until thev assume dimensions that are all out of proportion to their reality. What a lucky thing it would be' if someone would invent a truth mirror that would J a °" ex P or our dispositions! Then we might have something to worry about. ■

Spots On the Sua—Pimples. There is nothing so unromantic as a pimple. How can e girl be beautiful with a huge red pimple on her face! Of course, she can hide it with foundation cream and powder, but suppose, right in the middle of the dance or dinner, the cosmetic came oir, and the gleaming red protrusion shone forth like the taillight of a car! A pimple cannot be cured in a night, and the more you work at it the redder it will become. Besides, if you get rid of it in one place it is likely to appear in another, and it will probably bring several friends with it. Like troubles, pimples seldom come singly—it never rains but it pours. It was once thought that pimples were caused by impure blood. But that day has apparently gone by, and even if true, it is a question if there is any kind of medicine that will purify the blood. Fresh air seems to be the best blood purifier, and it is best taken on the hoof, and at night through wide-open windows, as we sleep. There appears to be two theories regarding pimples. One theory is that the system gets over-crowded with unassiniilated impurities, due largely to over-eating and under-exercising. The second theory is that pimples and so on are more caused by an invasion of the skin tissues by one or more of the several kinds of germs which are always present on the surface of our skins. It is a well established fact that there are myriads or germs everywhere, and Xature has given us the white blood corpuscles to fight and destroy them. If we are not healthy, if we are weakened or run-down, these gern» have an easy fight and they get hold of us, and the result is some form, of disease, if only a pimple.

Which of these two theories is correct lam not prepared to say. Bnt one important fact must constantly be borne in mind—practically every ptwforming germ is infectious.

Bear in mind the bacterial origin of even a pimple, and do not finger tha little unsightly enemy. If you do, wash your hands immediately with soap and water, and do not attempt to squeeze out the contents of an unripe pimple. This not only irritates it and makes it worse, but* you are running the danger of causing other pimples elsewhere, even upon other persons.

Pimples, however, are not as serious as you might imagine after reading the above. For effecting a cure Turkish baths are excellent, and so is any kind of vigorous exercise that causes the face to perspire freely.

Occasional steaming of the face to open the pores encourages them to give off their hardened contents which cause blackheads, etc. Holding the face over a bowl of foiling hot water or over a boiling tea-kettle will answer the purpose. Hot water and soap baths should also he indulged in frequently, taking care to rinse all the soap off afterwards in cool water.

Of course there are numerous lotions to dry a pimple, but it is best to prevent rather than to cure them. But once the pimple is there, and you want to remove it as quickly as possible, you might try this: Bicarbonate of soda, 36 grains; glycerine, 1 drachm; spermaceti ointment, loz. Put this on the pimple, let it remain for 10 or 15 minutes, then wipe off all but a thin film. Borax and alum are also excellent.